Hand member for diving armors



Dec. 16, 1924.

F. GALL HAND MEMBER FOR DIVING ARMORS Filed Aug. 31, 1921 'lill .l. I

/ Jill e0 or:

Patented Dec. 16, 1924.

UNl'l'll FRIEDRICH G-ALL, OF KIEL, GERIVIANY.

HAND IIEEMBER FOR DIVING AR IYIORS.

Application. filed August 31, 1921.

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l. FmnninCi-i (hen, citizen oi the German Republic. and residing at Kiel. county of Schleswig-Holstein. State. of Prussia. Germany. have invented certain new and useful improvements in Hand Members for Diving Armor-s (namely. for w rich I have filed application in Germany, lvlarch 2nd. i917. No. 334.693; Belgium. June 7th. 1.920. No. 287.401; Sweden. 'kpril 20th. 1920. do. 53,927; Holland. May 3rd. 1920. not yet granted; Denmark. h iy 26th. 1920, No. 527.687; Norway. June 1st. 1920, No. 34,170; England. July 10th. 1920. No. 148,434; Italy, June 29th. 1920, No. 536/136) of which the. following is a specification.

The hand-members employed hitherto 't'or divers armors were. in regard to their eX- ternal shape and mode of operation in seizing things. more or less similar to the human hand. But cases may arise in which these armor hands do not meet the requirements to be fulfilled in performing certain work. As diving armors are used in ery deep water. and the pressure in their interior is only that of the atmosphere. the hydrostatic pressure at the articulations causes the ditterent members to be pressed against each with great force. When the members are moved this pressure engenders great triclion. which greatly diminishes the force that can be exerted by the hand on external ohjects and accelerates fatigue. This drawback renders almost impossible for the (llYE/T to handle tools properly at great depths.

The known diving armors in which hand members are dispensed with. and in which a hook is passed through a stuffing box at the extremity of the member. or in which this member is provided with a tool similar to a pair of. pliers or tongs that can be manipulated from within do not permit oi? the tools being employed if they were operated by the human hand. Hence as instruments tor the execution of work under water they are very imperfect.

the present invention these drawbacks are removed and the diver is enabled to use his sense of feeling in operating with. and. handling. his tools.

This is accomplished by constructing the hand-member in the form of an artificial articulation and by providing it with a handle to which the tool to be used can be firmly fixed and that is mounted in a movable joint Serial N'o. 49?,427.

and can be operated in the interior of the member. A simple form of such a handle consists oi a narrow sleeve or tube which fixed at its front open end in a ball socket or articulation arranged in the hand member and whose inner end, that'extends into the said member. is closed. To enable tools having a plurality of movable parts, such as a pair of pliers. of which only one limb can be inserted in the handle, to be operated bv the aid of the hand member, guide members which act as stops for checking the movement or one of the said parts are provided on the exterior of the hand member. To enable the greatest possible force to be eXerted a hold towards which the handle is moved is provided in the interior of the hand member for the divers hand.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing in which a constructional form of the novel device. together with a pair of tongs. is shown.

The hand member consists of a casing 01., in the interior of which the hand can be moved freely, and Which is connected at b to the arm member. The casing 64 is formed ith a tapering projection a... at the extremy of which there is a ball-and-soclret joint (Z, that serves as a pivot for the handle 0. Inserted in the handle 0, whose longitudinal axis is inclined to the axis of the arm member at an angle corresponding to the natural position of the fingers of a closed fist, is the limb z' of a pair of pliers 0, whose other limb 7a is held or guided by an eye 7, that checks the movement of this limb. The pair of pliers is held in position by a spring detcnt that cooperates with a corresponding notch in the limb 2'. The jaws of the pliers are automatically kept apart by means of a pressure spring a that presses against the limb 7r. A. hold for the hand is provided in the interior of the hand-member. and by grasping this hold and the handle at the same time. the diver is able to apply the full closing force of his fist'to the tool.

I claim:

1. A hand member for diving armors com prisin a rigid casing, an articulation in the said casing, a handle fixed in the moving member of the said articulation and adapted to be handled in the interior of the casin and means for fixing a tool in the said handle.

2. A hand member for diving armors comprising, a rigid casing, an articulation in the said casin a handle consisting of a sleeve with an open end lined in the IHOY' able member of the articulation and a closed end extending into the casing, and means for fixing a tool in the said sleeve.

3. In combination with the arm member of a diving arm-or, a hand member comprising a rigid casing an articulation in the said casing, a handle consisting of a sleeve with an open end fixed in the movable member of the said articulation and a closed end extending into the casing, and means for fixing a tool in the said sleeve, the longitudinal axis of? the sleeve ttoiri'ning an angle With the axis of the said arm member.

41111 combination With the arm member o't a'diving armor; a hand mem er comprising a rigid casing, an articulation in the said casing, a handle consisting of a sleeve with an open end fixed in the movable member of the said articulation and a closed end extending into the casing, tool holding means on the exterior of the hand member, and

means for fixing a tool in the said sleeve, the longitudinal axis of the said sleeve forming an angle With the axis of the said arm member.

5. In combination with the arm member of a diving armor, a hand member comprising a rigid casing, an articulation in the said casing, a handle consisting of a sleeve With an open end fixed in the moval'ile member ol the said articulation and a closed end extending into the casing, a hand-hold in the casing tool holding means on the exterior of the hand member, and means for tinting atool in the said sleeve, the longitudinal axis of the said sleeve tt-orn'iing an angle with the axis of the said arm member.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FRIEDRICH (i i rim. 

